Lesson Plan Example
Subtitle
Grades: 5th Grade
Content Areas Integrated: Science and Social Studies
Instructor: Moses Strout
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
Unit Title: Natural Materials In Art
Unit Concept: (Using materials found directly from the natural world to create art)
Lesson Title: Sculpture Using Natural Materials
Lesson Narrative + Rationale:
Have you ever heard of land or earth art? This is a lesser known form of visual arts and sculpture technique for sculpture style.
Students will be introduced to the genre of land and earth art. They will then have the chance to explore and gather the wide-range of materials found in nature and create and present their work to their peers.
Students will learn various methods of earth and land art
They will also become familiar with sculpture and its’ three dimensional forms.
It is important for students to know that there are less-harmful materials available. Students should think about alternative methods in sculpture.
Many common materials used in art are made from harsh materials that have negative impacts on the environment. The creation, transportation, use, and waste from these materials all negatively impact the climate. Students can use local and natural materials as an option to create and reduce their individual impact.
My knowledge and awareness of the environmental issues that not only impact myself but my community and the world we live in.
An individual’s impact is can help out significantly so if enough people know and make the necessary changes then it will have a greater global impact.
My students will be growing up and going into this world so they should want it to last but also learn how to take responsibility within our society.
We will be addressing the following questions:
How can you use natural materials from the earth to create visual art?
What can we do to show society that we can create art with less harmful materials?
How can we use local materials and inspiration in our artwork?
Understanding Goal #1
Understanding Goal #2
Understanding Goal #3
Question:
How can you use natural materials from the earth to create visual art?
Question:
What can we do to show society that we can create art with less harmful materials?
Question:
How can we use local materials and inspiration in our artwork?
Statement: Students will begin to understand and appreciate the use of natural materials as a medium for sculpture.
Evaluation Criteria/Evidence of Success: Students will demonstrate the various materials used for sculpture, specifically natural materials.
Statement: Students will begin to understand and appreciate how to convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
Evaluation Criteria/Evidence of Success: Students will demonstrate how they have interpreted and translated their ideas into the sculpture forms.
Statement: Students will begin to understand and appreciate location and history in relation to specific types of art.
Evaluation Criteria/Evidence of Success: Students will demonstrate that they have learned about materials native to their region and the origins of both the art techniques and historical civilizations.
SHoM:
Develop Craft: My students will use natural materials found right outside in the surrounding environment. Making sure students do not to grab thorned plants, sharp rocks or sticks and watching out for plants that affect the skin such as poison ivy.
Envision: The students will use mind maps and thumbnail sketches to brainstorm ideas for the specific materials they want to use for the assignment. Time is a factor that will have to be kept in mind because it will affect the size and complexity of the students’ artwork.
Reflect: Students will look around to see what other people are doing and they might be interested in it or they might see problems another student is having and try to avoid those same problems with their work.
Stretch + Explore: Students can’t always predict what they will find for naturally occurring materials that vary greatly in shape and size. It allows for the students to change their plans during the gathering process and try new and different things with their work to see what will come of it. Students will try new things and although they may not workout, they will see the mistake and try to either figure out how to avoid the same mistake or develop a whole new idea.
Understand (Arts) Community: Students will not be trying to just grab the biggest stick or rock but rather think about what sized item they may need and deduce their own strength to collect that item of material. Students will be using natural materials and see the students being able to make use of their surrounding environment.
National Core Arts Standards:
Anchor Standard #1. Generate and conceptualize artistic ideas and work.
Anchor Standard #2. Organize and develop artistic ideas and work.
Anchor Standard #3. Refine and complete artistic work.
Anchor Standard #7. Perceive and analyze artistic work.
SHoM:
Engage and Persist: My students will be building on their individual presenting and public speaking skills. The students will also be using the idea of self reflection with their work and how they went about creating it.
Express:How they have changed their thoughts and ideas around the environment and their individual impacts, not just through art. They will see that presenting their work is not something to fear or worry about but just an explanation of why they did what they did, along with what their experience was like.
Reflect: Students will think about the experience they had creating the work and think about what they could improve or things they may want to change if they were to do this assignment again.
Stretch + Explore: As students will present they will give the purpose of their work but they will also receive comments and opinions from the other students about the work. Remembering all the things they may have missed speaking about during the presentation of their work and reflecting on them for next time.
National Core Arts Standards:
Anchor Standard #4. Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation.
Anchor Standard #5. Develop and refine artistic techniques and work for presentation.
Anchor Standard #6. Convey meaning through the presentation of artistic work.
Anchor Standard #7. Perceive and analyze artistic work.
Anchor Standard #8. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
Anchor Standard #9. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
Anchor Standard #11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.
SHoM:
Engage + Persist: Students use local resources to create sculpture inspired by indigenious art of the region. Student artists spend time researching materials and techniques from history in their region. They then decipher what is valuable in their sculptures.
Envision: Students create mind map ideas to work off of or think about the physical form they will take.
Express:
Student artists use ideas or techniques from past artists in the planning of their work. Students may express their interpretation of Native American work.
Reflect:Students artists will have open discussions about their process in gathering materials for their ideas. Students, as well as their peers, will be encouraged to bounce ideas off of each other.
Stretch + Explore: Student artist are thinking about exploring new materials.
Understand (Arts) Community:
Student artists are respectful and aware of their fellow artists, school, and community
National Core Arts Standards:
Anchor Standard #4. Select, analyze and interpret artistic work for presentation
Anchor Standard #7. Perceive and analyze artistic work.
Anchor Standard #8. Interpret intent and meaning in artistic work.
Anchor Standard #9. Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work.
Anchor Standard #11. Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen understanding.
ASSESSMENT STRATEGIES
Formative
One-on-one Critiques
Peer Critiques
Class Discussions
Summative
Self-Reflection
Portfolio + Artist Statement
VISUAL REFERENCES
VOCABULARY
Land Art: Art that is made directly from the landscape, sculpting the land into earthwork or using natural materials to create work in the landscape.
ADVANCED PREPARATION
Universal Design (Modifications):
Visual Impairment Including Blindness: braille notes, descriptive language, pre-collection of materials
Hearing Impairment: more visuals, subtitles, audio speaker so it is easier to hear, making sure have eye contact before speaking, turn off or flick off and on lights to gain attention
Orthopedic Impairment: pre-collection of materials, help to get them to describe what they want and having aid draw it out, palm adaption writing tool
Instructional Support Materials:
A reading along with their own research, mind mapping, and thumbnail sketches.
Materials/Supplies:
Natural materials(sticks, rocks, dirt, etc.), Shovels, Buckets, Water.
Safety Procedures:
In collection process there is a chance students could come across thorned plants, sharp rocks or sticks and watching out for plants that affect the skin such as poison ivy.
If an injury occurs that it be brought immediately to my attention and the class will go back inside to the classroom so they are not outside with no supervision.
Classroom Arrangement:
Have desks in a horseshoe around the demonstratio area either inside or outside.
Minutes
UGs
Instructional Sequence
(Including Performance of Understanding)
Ongoing Assessment
0 - 10
UG#1,3
Launch
What is Land Art?
Students will discuss this in groups and as groups they will come up with a mind map of all the ideas they think of for this.
Informal teacher observation of...
Lower: May be very confused and not totally understand what to think about or write in.
Middle: Will try to put forth ideas that they think may be right but still not sure.
Upper: Will have ideas that they are more sure of and creatively thinking of other connections through different ideas.
11 - 26
UG#1,2,3
Lecture
Give a quick introduction and general information about what Land Art is and how it came to be. Also showing some key figures in this genre of art.
Informal teacher observation of...
Lower: May be puzzled and not understand the concepts, have trouble focusing.
Middle: Will understand certain aspects of the information but may need further guidance.
Upper: will understand the concepts and how it connects to what they are doing in class for this project.
27 - 36
UG#1
Demonstration
Materials will already be gathered for the demonstration just to show how to go about creating a land art sculpture.
Informal teacher observation of...
Lower: May not pay attention the whole time and have no questions until later when they have missed things.
Middle: Will watch and have questions after about the demonstration but understand what to do.
Upper: Will understand and may ask questions as they arise but are ready to create their own.
37 - 46
UG#1,2,3
Brainstorm/ Transition
Students with come up with ideas and do a quick thumbnail sketch. Then they transition outside.
Informal teacher observation of...
Lower: Some will not be totally confident in their ideas so they may not be engaged with the groups.
Middle: Will have some ideas but unsure of how to accomplish the task, may try to brainstorm.
Upper: Will understand and quickly come up with ideas for both what they will use and how they will create the form.
47 - 60
UG#1
Explore
Students will go out and gather their materials from the surrounding area of nature.
Informal teacher observation of...
Lower: May mess around and be playing rather than gathering, may need further guidance to stay on task.
Middle: Will gather materials but more randomly and not thinking of how it will work for their piece.
Upper: Will gather materials that may be somewhat random but mostly they will choose things that will add nicely to their form.
61 - 70
UG#1,2
Students at Work
Students will take the gathered materials and start combining and creating their land art sculptures outside.
Informal teacher observation of...
Lower: May try to help but may aggravate other students because they were not totally paying attention or getting the right materials.
Middle: Will be apart of the assembling but not sure how it will turnout or be unsure if this was what they were trying for.
Upper: Will probably be the leader of the group and be helping to assemble and guide the other members of the group to make the form right.
71 - 80
UG#1,2
Students at Work/ Critique
The students will continue creating their land art sculptures and be making observational critiques along the way
Informal formative assessment of...
Lower: Won’t understand where the group is going wrong and may follow what other students say.
Middle: Will see where somethings are off but may not know what to change.
Upper: Will understand what things are going wrong and will understand how to fix it or brainstorm with group on what should be done.
81 - 90
UG#1,2,3
Critique/ Present and Share
Students will present their work as the groups walk around and have an open discussion with their critiques. Or they will take pictures of their work to present inside.
Informal formative assessment of...
Lower: May be nervous and not know what to say about the work, or what to say about others work
Middle: May still be nervous but know some things to say about their work and how to respond to others works.
Upper: Knows what to say/ talk about and will have constructive critiques and knowledgeable questions to ask other groups.
WORKS CITED
“About Michael Heizer.” Double Negative, http://doublenegative.tarasen.net/heizer.
Goodyear, Dana. “A Monument to Outlast Humanity.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 9 July 2019, https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/08/29/michael-heizers-city.
“Michael Heizer.” Artnet, http://www.artnet.com/artists/michael-heizer/.
“Michael Heizer Sculptures, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/heizer-michael/.
YouTube, YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkfWFsirL5Y.
“Maya Lin.” Art21, https://art21.org/artist/maya-lin/.
Artdaily. “Storm King Launches Storm King Wavefield, Monumental Work by Maya Lin.” Storm King Launches Storm King Wavefield, Monumental Work by Maya Lin, https://artdaily.cc/news/30719/Storm-King-Launches-Storm-King-Wavefield--Monumental-Work-by-Maya-Lin#.XdbW4C3Myu4.
Khan Academy, Khan Academy, 1982, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/global-contemporary/v/mayalin-vietnamvetmem.
The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Maya Lin.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 21 Oct. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maya-Lin.
“Maya Lin Artworks & Famous Art.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/lin-maya/artworks/.